The Heylin Element
by up all nite
Summary: Overcome with an evil far more powerful than anything the Xiaolin dragons have ever faced, Kimiko Tohomiko must rely on the very person she is doomed to destroy.ClayxKimiko
1. Deadly New Wu

I do not own Xiaolin Showdown and have no desire to be sued.

This is my very first fanfic. Please try to enjoy!

Chapter 1: Deadly New Wu

"Make haste, Dojo!" Omi said for about the eighth time. "We must not allow this Shen Gong Wu to fall into evil hands!"

The old dragon murmured some profane comment under his breath and turned his head to face the young monk. "Omi, for the thousandth time, I'm doing the best I can! I don't need the extra pressure!" By now he was obviously fed up with Omi's constant urging. Still, he tried to refrain from raising his voice to the little guy. So, he simply turned his head forward, his nostrils flaring in aggravation.

Clay understood why Dojo was upset, but he still sympathized with Omi.

"Give the lil' guy a break, Dojo. I reckon we all feel a bit uneasy." He put his hand to his stomach to quench its constant churning. "I myself am about as calm as a cat in a room full of bulldogs."

Kimiko rolled her eyes at the cowboy's remark. She was clearly not in the mood to hear one of his down home sayings. Her own stomach was doing cartwheels as she remembered what Master Fung had said about this particular Shen Gong Wu, and…..

and what it would mean if it fell into the wrong hands.

Needless to say, she knew how Clay and Omi felt. She sensed the anxiety radiating from their very beings which, in turn, made her even more uneasy. Kimiko looked past the two boys and stared at Raimundo, who was riding in front at the base of Dojo's head.

Despite the anxiousness she new they were all feeling, the young Brazilian looked every bit the strong leader that he was expected to be. Kimiko secretly smiled to herself. Raimundo had developed so much as the Dragon of Wind since becoming Shoku Warrior.

"_Then again, these past 2 years have bought about changes in us all_." Kimiko thought to herself.

Sure, Rai was still a laid back prankster at times, but recently something in him had surfaced, something that wasn't there before.

His appearance was also slightly different. His muscles had become even more well defined, and his hair now reached shoulder length. To think that a person who cared as much about his appearance as Rai would allow his hair to grow so unkempt!

Kimiko had also noticed changes in her self. She had learned how to somewhat control her temper, although she still often had her routine outbursts. Overall, though, she was a calmer individual. Physically, she had developed in the way all girls are expected to, although her breasts were more or less the same size as they were when she was thirteen, as well as her height, which bothered Kimiko more than her breasts. She now had a short cut; she accidentally singed her hair half a year ago, when she almost burned down the entire temple compound.

Omi had also changed, although much of it was in personality rather than appearance. He might have grown a few inches, but other than that he was still the same old "cheeseball" ,as Jack Spicer would call him. In truth, however, the Dragon of Water had become much more aware of the world around him, as well as those who make up that world. He also tried to choose his words more wisely, although he still couldn't get any of the modern day slang right. What was probably more important, however, was that he was able to control that ego that was probably at one point bigger than his head(which was big).

Out of all of them, however, Clay was probably the one that changed the least. He was still the same tall, strong gentleman, now more of a man than before, thanks to the five o'clock shadow he now had. His cowboy tendencies hadn't changed which meant that, despite Kimiko's complaining, he would still often quote one of his many cowboy related sayings. Actually, however, although she always made fun of the big cowboy, she sometimes found the way he talked, well, charming.

"_Then why do I act like that_…?"

"Here it is!" Dojo said before letting out a big sneeze. "Or at least that's what my allergies are telling me."

The young dragons suddenly looked down to see a large island. Kimiko's eyes suddenly widened.

"That's…."

"The island of Honshu." Dojo said between wheezes. "Largest island in the nation of –WHEEZE-!"

"I know where we are!" Kimiko said with much excitement as Dojo began his descent. "We're home!"

Kimiko simply couldn't contain her excitement. It had been TWO WHOLE YEARS since she had come home to Japan. No Shen Gong Wu had been revealed there until now and the Xiaolin dragons were kept so busy with training and gathering the mystical artifacts that Kimiko had not been given even one chance to visit.

Suddenly, her thoughts were distracted as Dojo began to wheeze even harder than before. As sharp chilling pains shot up and down his snake-like body, the dragon began to shake so violently that the group of teens had to hold on with all their might just to keep from falling to their deaths. Rai knew that something was seriously wrong. Sure, Dojo had experienced similar reactions to Shen Gong Wu before, but never like this.

"Dojo, are you a-a-aaahhh!" Raimundo's words trailed off into shouts as that last shiver almost sent them flying.

"This Sh-Shen Gong W-Wu is bad n-news." Dojo sniffed. "I-I don't know if I c-c-can…"

Dojo suddenly let out a sneeze so tremendous that the monks simply couldn't hold on any longer. They were all flung into the air until gravity took hold of them and were soon quickly plummeting to the ground below.

………………………………………………….

Chase young was growing impatient. Well, more impatient. Wuya had been leading him through mountainous terrain for what seemed like hours and still the object of their search was yet to be found.

As they came across a clearing amongst the trees, the Ancient Heylin Warrior sat himself down on a large rock, propping up his chin with his arm as he analyzed the situation at hand.

"_The Xiaolin monks are surely searching for it as well_" Chase thought to himself. "_That useless witch has been leading us in circles. Now I'm beginning to doubt that she's even sensing it." _

"Chase!" Wuya screamed as she made her way through the bushes and into the clearing. "You understand as well as I do that we must reach it before the monks." She suddenly pointed her finger to something behind her. "So why are we bringing this impudent fool with us?"

Wuya watched with a look of disgust as Jack Spicer clumsily stumbled through the brus. He suddenly shot Wuya an angry look, the kind of look a spoiled child would give a parent for not giving them something they want. "Hey! That's EVIL BOY GENIUS to you! Not…!"

Jack suddenly gave out on of his high pitched shrieks as he tripped over a bush and fell right on his face.

Chase shot Jack a look of aggravation, then he simply closed his eyes in thought and smiled one of those malicious smiles of this. "He is simply of some use to us for a change. If it was any of your concern I would have told you."

Jack looked at Chase as a puppy would to his master. "Umm, er, Chase, sir…um I was just wondering, why couldn't bring any of my Jackbots. It would be a hell of a lot easier to find our way through these woods."

Wuya shot Jack her own angry stare.

"I'm getting us through these mountains just fine! Besides, what good would those useless flying pieces of scrap metal be against the Xiaolin Warriors? They're useless. YOU'RE useless!"

Jack looked boiling mad, and was about to say something when….

"ENOUGH!" Chase roared as he stood up and faced Wuya.

"That's enough of your incessant whining. You are wasting my Valuable time, and I do not like it when someone wastes my time." Chase narrowed his eyes at Wuya. "Now, let's keep going."

Wuya simply stared at Chase, then at Jack. Then, while still fuming and pouting, she led the way Chase following her close behind. Jack said not a word as he stumbled after him, but not before tripping and falling flat on his face again.

"_It's not as if it matters either way."_ Chase thought_. " After all, they are merely foolish monks." _

Another evil smile crept over his face as his reptilian eyes flashed in the shadows of the surrounding trees.

"_What hope do the have of controlling something their feeble minds dare not grasp?"_


	2. Flaming Mad

I'm going to try and update a chapter every Saturday from now on. The reason why this chapter took a while to get up was because I have had a lot of studying and crap like that to do. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 2: Flaming Mad ( I know it's a lame title!)

Clay slowly opened his eyes and quickly squinted them as the bright rays of the afternoon sun blocked his vision. As he fully regained consciousness he was struck with realization.

"I-I'm still alive? How…."

Suddenly, he couldn't think about anything but the soreness he felt in the back of his head. As the pain began to subside, he came to observe his surroundings.

The first thing Clay noticed was that he was surrounded by a curtain of leaves, the bright ultraviolet rays peaking through them like a veil and quickly warming the cowboy's burly form. As he began to regain the feeling in his entire body, Clay suddenly realized that he was being suspended, that his back was being supported while his limbs were left to dangle in the empty air. Realizing this, he jolted upwards and looked down.

"How in tarnation!"

Below him the entire forest floor was spread out like a carpet of green and brown. Seeing how high up he was, Clay suddenly gripped in a death hold, hoping that his bulk wouldn't break the branch. However, he quickly relaxed again once he actually thought about it and realized that the branch was probably sturdy due to the fact that it held him up without giving the whole time he was unconscious, although Clay didn't know how long.

"_How'd I end up here? Ah, my head! I can't remember much…wait!"_

Now he remembered what had gotten him in this predicament. Dojo had lost control, and they were all flung from his back.

They were falling.

He heard Omi and Kimiko screaming…..

"WIND!"

Those words echoed clearly in Clay's mind. No sooner had Rai said that single word that he could remember feeling a sudden strong updraft. It had scattered them all this way and that, like soft petals blowing in the strong gust of a maelstrom! They were blown into different directions… that's when Clay remembered being thrown against the tree and his head hit the branch.

Hard.

Remembering that caused the back of Clay's head to ache slightly, but he couldn't help but crack a smile.

"I gotta hand it t' Rai. If it weren't fer him, I reckon we all would'a….

"Clay!"

The cowboy looked down from his perch to see none other than Omi. The top of his shiny bald head was easily spotted from the treetops.

"Omi! Up here, partner!"

The monk jumped in surprise and jerked his head upwards. He hadn't expected to find Clay in such a strange place. Still, Omi's face became a mask of relief at seeing his friend safe and well.

"Are you alright, my friend?"

Clay started to climb down the tree, having quite a time at it.

" My head's a lil' sore, but other'n that, I reckon I'm alright.

Suddenly, the two warriors heard Raimundo's voice call from somewhere in the distance.

"Hey, Omi! Did you find him yet?"

Clay hollered back in response.

"Over here, Rai! Got Kimiko with you?"

"I'm here!" Kimiko called.

Rai and Kimkio stepped out from under the trees and into the small gathering.

"Well, that didn't exactly go as I'd hoped." Rai said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "But at least we're all safe, right?"

"Indeed." said Omi.

"I thought I was a goner." Kimiko said as she wiped a drop of sweat from her brow. "My life flashed before my eyes!"

"Mine too. Well, what little of it there was." said Omi.

The other two nodded in agreement.

"We must not dawdle here." Omi finally said. "For as we stand here we are also losing precious time, especially since we no longer have Dojo to guide us."

For a while, there was a pause. Then, Raimundo nodded.

"Right, Omi. I say we start by fanning out and searching the immediate area."

Kimiko stared at their leader as a look of disappointment spread across her face.

"You mean…_this_ is where it is?"

Clay quickly surveyed the area around them.

"Has t' be here somewhere. This was the spot Dojo seemed t' be headed t'wards b'fore he got himself a case o' Wu flu."

Kimiko looked like she was going to cry.

"_But…I really wanted to see papa again…"_

"What ha got you dumped down, Kimiko?" Omi asked innocently.

"It's down in the dumps." Clay and Rai said in unison.

Kimiko bowed her head.

"It's just that, well…when I heard our destination was Japan, well I was hoping that I would be able to see my family again. I mean, it's been two years since I've seen any of them."

Clay placed his hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her.

"I can understand you bein' disappointed, Kimiko. I miss my folks too."

Kimiko let out a long compressed sigh as she looked up at the tall young man.

"I know, Clay. And I'm not trying to be a pain to anyone, it's just that, knowing I'm this close to them is hard to ignore."

Rai nodded at her comment.

"I know how you feel too, Kimiko. But this is really important. Master Fung was more worried about this Shen Gong Wu than I have ever seen him before. This is bigger than something like Mala Mala Jong, or Wuya, maybe even Chase."

"I get how important it is, Rai. You don't have to remind me." Kimiko said with a bit of coldness in her tone. She couldn't believe it. She felt as though Rai was blaming her for wanting to see her parents.

Raimundo, realizing that she was getting a little ticked off, decided to change the subject and cut to the chase.

"Okay, we do have a lot of ground to cover, but since we don't know the area, I think we should split up into groups of two so in case we do get lost we'll all have someone with us. Omi and I will go this way. Clay, you and Kimiko take that direction. We'll meet back here at dawn." Rai took a rock and carved an "X" into a nearby tree to mark the spot.

"Alright, see you guys later." That said, the dragons went their separate ways. Raimundo looked back at the other two warriors as they disappeared from sight, his thoughts turned to Kimiko.

He was worried about that cold look she had given him. Master Fung had mentioned to them how dangerous this particular Wu was, emphasizing, especially to Raimundo, that it could cause great evil if the user is experiencing negative feelings. He said little besides that, saying that the least they know about this particular Shen Gong Wu, the better. Rai may not have understood his master's actions, but what he did know and had always known since becoming involved with Kimiko Tohomiko was that when she was angry, it was never a good thing.

……………………..

"Clay?" It was the first time Kimiko spoke since thay had all split up when what she believed an hour ago. At least it seemed that long ago.

"Huh?" Clay said, finally taking a small break from searching.

Kimiko was unsure about whether or not she wanted to say anything more about this, but after a moment she decided on it and acted.

"Um, I know how important finding this Shen Gong Wu is…but, but don't you think that it would be alright with Rai and Omi if we made a quick stop in Tokyo after finding it?" Her eyes were so filled with hope that Clay almost couldn't bear to tell her no, but he was aware of the task at hand, and knew that the young Japanese girl's request was not practical for the time being.

"I don't know 'bout that, Kimiko. Master Fung said to bring the Shen Gong Wu back to the temple as soon as possible. As soon as we find it, I reckon we'll head on back 'for anyone else comes for it."

Clay, obviously in an effort to change the subject, suggested that they search near some thorny looking bushes, preferring to risk sticking himself rather than start an argument with her.

For the next half hour they made very little communication with each other, barely making eye contact. Finally, unable to take the quiet treatment anymore, Kimiko broke the silence, snapping like a twig under a tiger's paw as it missteps while pursuing food.

"Clay, this is useless! Here we are in the middle of no where searching for one small object that we're never going to find at this rate. We can't do this alone, we need Dojo. And I know you're purposely trying to avoid eye contact with me…hey!"

The cowboy jumped up in surprise, nearly falling into a bed of thorny bushes.

"At least listen to me!" Her frustration was evident from her face, which was slowly turning red.

"Hey now, no need t' raise your voice, Kimiko. I was paying attention."

"Oh really?" Kimiko said, a note of sarcasm in her tone. " I thought for a minute that you preferred poking through those bushes, which, by the way, are poisonous!"

" Quickly backing away from the bushes, Clay misplaced a step and ended up falling all over himself. Kimiko couldn't help but laugh at the cowboys folly, never intending to be cruel. Clay gave her a look that seemed to show early stages of anger; she stopped laughing.

"Why didn't you say them bushes were poisonous earlier? Now I'll probably get a rash!"

Kimiko gave him an angry look in return.

"You didn't seem to want to talk to me. I'm just staying out of the way like you want me to!"

"Will you stop acting like a cranky widow with no clean linens?" Clay blurted out angrily.

Kimiko's face became a mixture of confusion and aggravation at the cowboy's remark.

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? Do you always have to talk like a bad western special?" Kimiko shook her head. Her patience was quickly wearing thin.

Now Clay's patience for Kimiko was fading as well, despite always being able to control his temper.

"Beats bein' a spoiled brat." Clay muttered.

Kimiko was taken aback by his remark. Clay had never spoken so bitterly towards one of his fellow warriors. Well, she was going to bite back.

"Well, if being spoiled means having some civility and manners, then I guess I am. Just because I don't wrangle cattle, or-or juggle livestock, it doesn't mean that I'm not a generous person. Besides, you should speak for yourself! You eat as if you were a real cow, boy!"

Clay Gritted his teeth as he stared down at her.

" He he he…Well, ain't you so clever and ain't I such a brain dead hick? Well, at least I don't go off like a fire cracker on the 4th of July ev'ry time I get steamed!"

"I fight back! There's pride in that, unlike just letting people walk all over you like a perpetual lump!"

"Better'n bein' selfish!"

"I am not selfish!"

"Not selfish? NOT SELFISH? Oh, 'course not! Not YOU! What kind o' selfish person be so generous as to put her own prerogatives b'fore the enire world?"

Kimiko began to get nervous. She had never seen Clay this angry before.

"W-we're not even talking about that Clay! I dropped that an hour ago!"

Clay came closer to Kimiko. All the times she made fun of him. The way he talked. The things he liked to do. The country music he liked to listen to. All of the anger Clay felt over those situations over the past three years. They had all been bottled up. And no the bottle was ready to burst.

"You might think you're perfect. You might think you're better'n me. Well, let me tell you somethin', Miss Tohomiko. I think you need t' go see an anger management consultant! You're a hot headed lil' bitch, and, now that I see you for what you are, it's no wonder Rai dumped you!"

-SMACK!-

Clay fell backward from the force of the slap. When Kimiko's hand had struck his face it seemed to "wake him up" from his rage filled ranting. He looked down at Kimiko. She was shaking, and something was on her face, but Clay couldn't believe what it was.

"_She, she's cryin'?"_

Clay reached out his hand, not really knowing what to say. His hand was slapped away as Kimiko lifted her head. Her expression was a mixture of anger, and hurt. Tears still rolling down her cheeks, she slowly backed away until she was several yards a way from him, the whole time never looking away from him, staring him down with those hateful/hurt-filled eyes.

"Fuck you, Clay!" That was all she said before turning and running off into the depths of the forestland.

For a moment, Clay was completely silent. He put his hand up to the stinging red spot where he had been struck, and narrowed his eyes.

"Fine! Go on, git yourself hopelessly lost! No skin off my hide!"

Silence.

"You hear me?"

Still silence. She was gone.


	3. Voices

Just a heads up: I'm going out of town next week so I can't update the story.( As if anyone cares, am I right?) Well anyway, for those who actually do care, I'll probably update the next two chapters the weekend after. One more thing: for those who haven't noticed, this story's rating has been bumped up to M for situations that will occur later(Don't get your hopes up,though.) Anyway, sorry for making you read this boring rambling. On with the story!

Chapter3: Voices 

"What troubles you, Raimundo?" Omi asked.

His friend had a sort of no one's home look plastered on his face. He had been like that since that afternoon, when the four of them had split up into two search parties. Both groups had gone off in opposite directions. Through that entire time, Rai hadn't uttered a single word. Neither of them had, until now.

The Dragon of Wind looked down at Omi. The look upon his little round face was one of concern for his comrade, who he could tell was stressed over something.

Rai shook his head.

"Don't worry about me Omi. Let's both just focus on what we came here for." He forced out a weak smile to assure him. "Don't sweat it. It's nothing, really."

Rai than turned his head forward and continued up their unmarked path. He didn't want Omi to see that he was truly distressed. He knew the monk would see it if he looked into his eyes.

"_At least, I hope it's nothing…" _

He was worried about the way Kimiko had looked at him. She was mad, and what Raimundo had said to her only made it worse. He was sure that by now she had grown even more irritable and, as a result, more angry.

Master Fung had emphasized that if they were to come into contact with this particular Shen Gong Wu, then they would have to keep with them an air of uttermost calm. No sooner had the master monk said this than the whole group set their gaze upon Kimiko. They hadn't intended to put the pressure on her, but she still folded her arms as a sign of frustration. But she still kept her composure and spoke calmly.

"You don't have to look at me, Master Fung. Thanks to those meditation techniques you showed me and the Jack Spicer punching bag I got for Christmas, I have complete control over my temper."

Their master had nodded to this and gave her a weak smile of encouragement.

"Indeed, you have come a long way, my young dragon, and I do not doubt that." He folded his arms into his robes as he now looked upon his apprentices with much seriousness. Even more serious than he usually was.

"But always remember, my young monks. Anger and hatred are powerful things. Such negative feelings tend to cloud the minds of even the wisest of men, and may lead the purest of souls to dark deeds."

Before Rai had thought the old man was just quoting some cheesy line from Star Wars, but he now realized that those words were not to be taken lightly.

This mission was of the utmost importance. Everything was at stake, and getting Kimiko riled up was certainly not starting on the right foot.

But Rai also knew that Kimiko was aware of the situation they were in. She knew that this was top priority. Then why did she get so upset over something like not being able to see her family when she already knew all this? Had it been the way he talked to her, or…..

"_Oh Shit!" _

Rai realized there may have been another reason for Kimiko's anger. Something he hadn't even considered until now, of all times!

Was it, could it be possible that she was still upset over their breakup? It had been a while, six months at least. Was she still hung up on that? I mean, it didn't seem like either of them were happy with the way that was going. It wasn't too much to expect for her to have gotten over it by now, right? Or was she still upset…?

No. No, that's ridiculous. Kimiko was way tougher than that. She'd never let her emotions get the better of her, no way.

But.. still…

"RAIMUNDO!"

Omi yelled directly into the Shoku Warrior's ear, snapping him out of his daze and nearly bursting his eardrum.

"Damn it, Omi! You didn't have to do that, did you…? Um…, Omi?"

Omi looked more melancholy than before as he stared at the ground, knowing full well what his leader had been thinking.

"_How does he do that?"_ Raimundo thought, resting his hand on his friend's shoulder.

" I know you're worried about her too, Omi. But all we can do is trust Kimiko. She realizes what's on the line."

Omi nodded.

"Right. Kimiko is strong-willed, surely our trust in her shall not be misplaced. Still, I am glad that she is with Clay."

Rai nodded in agreement.

"_He's right."_ He thought to himself. _"Clay's always level headed. He'd know how to_ _calm Kimiko down."_

………………………………

Kimiko had no idea were she was going. Heck, she didn't even know where she was. But she didn't care. She was upset, she wasn't thinking straight, she felt irritated. Mostly, however, she was shocked at what Clay had said to her. Bringing up the deal with Raimundo was bad enough. That, mixed with all the other things he had said, really got her blood boiling

"Selfish, am I?" she said angrily to herself.

She stopped for a moment, realizing what had just come out of her mouth. Her brain processed it.

"_Am I?"_

She had never intended to appear selfish. She was just caught up with the excitement of being home, with the thought of seeing her pappa…….

Wait! Why should she care what Clay thought about her? No! She didn't care. She was tough. Tough enough to stand a little criticism, for sure. She was the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire, for God's sake! Why should she care about what one person thought about her?

Then, she sighed deeply, almost painfully, and looked up into the clouds.

"_But, I really do care…."_

Why did she feel like this? She felt like…… like crying?

This moment did not last for long, however. She dismissed this feeling as being utterly ridiculous, trying to suppress it with more anger. That' all she did as she went onward. She blocked out all of her sadness, replacing it with anger.

"**ANGER……"**

"Hugh?"

Kimiko looked around.

Didn't someone just speak?

There wasn't a soul to be found.

"But I could have sworn… oh great. I'm starting to hear things."

The farther Kimiko walked, the denser the area became. The trees here had grown closer together, so close that it was a wonder that the roots of the trees had any room to grow at all. As she looked forward she noticed the trees growing closer and closer until they formed a dark tunnel, blocking out the light of the sun.

"Well, this looks ominous" It didn't take Kimiko very long to realize that this was probably where the Shen Gong Wu was hidden. Somewhere deep, deep inside among the forboding hollow trees where the darkness encroached on everything it touched, covering the forest floor in a veil of black……..

These visions entered Kimiko's head. She shivered and clutched herself tightly as if a gust of wind had pierced through her body. There was no gust, no wind , everything around her stood completely still, as if time itself had stopped.

"Maybe I should contact the others before I do anything…"

Kimiko whipped out her cell phone and started to dial Raimundo's cell number.

Suddenly, she stopped. Her finger was right above the flashing green sign that would send her call.

"What am I doing? Why should I call him? He's the one who made me mad in the first place."

She shut her razor. Soon after she flipped it open again.

"Maybe I should try… Wait. No! I'm not talking to him! I'd rather call Raimundo!"

She re-dialed the Brazilian's phone number and hit the call button.

……………………………………………………………………No answer

Frustrated, Kimiko dialed again. All she got back was a bunch of static.

She shut her phone again and lifted it up in her hand, feeling like throwing it on the ground, smashing it into a thousand pieces. Anything to relieve her frustration.

However, once she allowed herself to calm down a little, she simply took a deep breath and put the phone away.

"Well, looks like I have no other choice…"

Still feeling very uneasy, Kimiko reluctantly walked forward. She turned back once more to watch the sun's rays fade away into the distance, replaced by an empty pitch black. It was as if day had shifted into night without any warning. Kimiko could hardly see in front of her own face. Thinking fast, she broke off a branch from a nearby tree and

"FIRE!"

The forest lit up instantly. Kimiko rubbed her eyes in the firelight. As her vision cleared, Kimiko's eyes widened in shock at the sight that awaited her.

All around her the trees were marked with Japanese characters. Each tree had a different word engraved on it.

Her attention was drawn to one that was concealed within the shadows. Once she got close enough to read what it was, she let out a silent gasp. She reached out her hand and traced the character etched into the bark. It read

"Hi."(Fire)

Across from this tree there stood others, each with the characters that made up the characters of each element, all lined up one after the other horizontally. Kimiko went from tree to tree, reading each one aloud.

"Mizu."(Water)

"Kaze"(wind)

She nearly whispered the name of the carving on the last tree.

"Tochi."(Earth)

She traced the lines of the character, her heart beginning to soften. Then she remembered the tussle she and Clay had….

"**Hate…."**

That voice again.

Kimiko turned around.

No one there.

She turned to face the tree again and her eyes widened in horror. The lines that made up the characters for earth had split into smaller lines and made new ones, spelling a new word.

"Nikushimi…"(Hate)

Kimiko slowly backed away from the tree.

Something had begun to drip out of the carvings.

Something gooie.

Something red.

While still horrified beyond belief, Kimiko inched her way towards the tree once again. As if to confirm it was real and not an allusion, she reached out her hand and touched the crimson ooze.

It was warm.

Kimiko felt like screaming, but nothing came. All she could do was let out a terrified squeak. This stuff was exactly what it looked like. It was

"**Blood…."**

The voice was louder this time. Kimiko quickly withdrew her palm and looked at it, expecting to see a bloody mess. Her vocals finally allowed her to let out a shriek, so high pitched it still almost sounded like a loud squeak. On her hand, inscribed with perfect accuracy, were the characters, one on top of the other, to read out

Ketsueki(Blood)

She quickly pulled out her hanker chief, part of her ensemble, and tried desperately to rub the blood off. The mark remained. She rubbed harder. It was still there.

Harder!

It persisted.

"_Water!"_ She thought. "_Water has to wash it off!"_

Without even thinking, she threw her torch aside in a panic. Quickly throwing off her designer backpack and unzipping it, she rummaged through her many accessories until she found her water bottle. She uncapped the bottle and poured the water over her palm. She took her hanker chief again and soaked in the water. She continued to scrub hard at the mark and, much to her relief, it eventually was all rubbed away.

While Kimiko had been doing all of this, the torch she had thrown aside had hit the tree dead on, and the flames were quickly spreading. Now that most of her panic had subsided, Kimiko looked up and watched as the fire licked at the tree bark, the carving pealing off like dead skin.

Kimiko didn't know what to do. She certainly didn't have enough water to take out the flames. She could only watch in horror as the tree burned to the ground, she was too gripped with fear to do anything else. But as she recovered from the overall shock, she realized that there was one thing she could do.

She ran!

She had to get help! At this rate, the whole forest would burn down!

She ran for what seemed liked miles, although Kimiko really had no idea how far she had gone. She was too tired, too dazed, and her mind was on the brink of collapse. Still, she ran for as far as she could. Luckily, she spotted a clearing where a small stream ran through the woods. It seemed too coincidencial, too good to be true, but at this point Kimiko was too out of it to care. As she reached the edge of the stream, her legs totally gave way and she finally fell too her knees, breathing as if her heart would stop at any moment.

Inching her way to the water, she cupped her hands and dipped them into the stream. It felt cold, ice cold. Usually during this time of year the water should have been warmer. But Kimiko wasn't complaining. To her, the water was her wake up to reality as she splashed her face, embracing the cold feeling that was overcoming her. It was almost numbing.

She stared at her own reflection in the water and noticed something. It was the reflection of an object that came out of no where, although it looked faded and distorted. However, the ripples Kimiko made by dipping her hands in the water seemed to fold over the image, making it more defined and clear. Kimiko watched in awe until the figure completely formed a reflection. The ripples stopped abruptly.

The reflection was that of a majestic stone dragon. It was regal and imposing, looming over the water as if it were looking down upon the earth from a cloud high above. It held something in his hands, but Kimiko couldn't make out what it was. She slowly lifted her head upwards. Her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets at what she saw before her. There, right across the stream, stood the stone dragon itself.

Kimiko now saw that in its hands was a colorfully panted jar molded out of clay. Kimiko gasped at the sight of the object.

"Is-is that…"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kimiko heard a large BOOM sound. A large crack ran through the head of the statue. The whole thing started to split in half and fall into the water. Aware that it was ice cold, Kimiko dove in without hesitation. Luckily, she found the object of her search before it sank to the bottom, and there was hardly any current, so it was easy for her to swim.

She quickly got out of the freezing water, not feeling much better since she didn't have anything she could use to dry off. In the end, however, it was worth the effort. This is what they were looking for. A Shen Gong Wu that was enfused with the power of evil.

"The Heylin Urn."

The lid of the jar was secured with iron seal that had Chinese Characters carved into them. They were probably spells put there as an extra precaution.

The designs painted on the jar depicted dragons of all sizes and colors soaring through the air, some hiding among the clouds. In the middle a sun was painted, and encircling it were more dragons, the one in the center curled around the yellow disk like a ring. It was almost hard to imagine that such a thing could contain something so evil. But Kimiko knew better. Grand Master Dashi had gone the extra mile to make sure this thing never fell into the wrong hands.

"**Too late….."**

The voice was so clear Kimiko could have sworn it was coming from behind her! She turned around. There was nothing there.

"Alright, who's there? I am so not in the mood for this!"

"**I am here."**

The voice was now coming from somewhere below her. She took a few steps back.

"I don't see…."

Suddenly, an intense heat began to radiate from the jar, so intense Kimiko felt like it was going to scorch her skin! As she let go of it, she heard the voice boom as if it were screaming directly into her ear.

"**HERE."**

Kimiko closed her eyes as the urn slipped though her hands, expecting to hear it shatter on the ground. She heard something, but it hadn't been what she was expecting. It was absolutely ear splitting. Kimiko covered her hands with her ears. God, it was like a bunch of rusty hinges opening all at once! She bent do to try and block it out but it only got worse. Then

-Clang!-

She opened her eyes, realizing that whatever had made that sound was right below her. Her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest.

The seals had snapped off like were twigs. The lid was off. Panic seized Kimiko as she picked up the jar along with the lid and tried to seal it back on again. However, when Kimiko looked at the jar it appeared to be empty. Nothing was in it. Pitch black. She held it up to the light to see if anything was stuck to the bottom.

"My God!"

The jar had no bottom. No sides. No anything. All there was in there was this empty black void compressed into a tiny space. No Beginning. No end.

"**I am awake."**

Kimiko was then gripped by a powerful sensation. A painful sensation. VERY painful. It felt like her muscle tissue was being torn apart. FROM THE INSIDE! Kimiko dropped the urn again, this time falling with it. Her whole body screamed in agony as she writhed about on the ground like a helpless worm

"Wh...what's… happening….. ?"

Now the voice came from inside her head.

"**You are succumbing to it."**

"Wha….what..?"

"**FOOL! Look at the urn!"**

Kimiko looked to where the jar had fallen, doing so wearing a mask of agony. The muscles in her neck were in severe pain just like the rest of her body. The opening of the urn was facing her. It gave her a perfect view of what was happening.

"What the….?"

The Dragon of Fire watched as the darkness concealed within the urn began to dissipate, leaving behind an ordinary empty jar.

"**Now do you see?" **The voice said in a tone that made Kimiko's body shiver. **" If you don't, than perhaps I will have to demonstrate….."**

Powerful shocks of energy shot through Kimiko's body like a bullet shooting through glass, completely shattering reality as her vision blurred. The pain in her muscles began to subside, a new pain taking its place. It felt like something was moving under her skin, in her veins. Whatever this thing was, it was taking control of her body. Well, Kimiko wasn't going to let that happen. Not without a fight! And fought back she did!

She consentrated really hard and, for a moment at least, it seemed to be working. The voice laughed softly, mocking her efforts.

"**Well, well, aren't we strong. I expect no less from a Xiaolin Warrior. Let us see how you handle THIS!"**

A surge of powerful energy filled Kimiko's entire body, now stronger than before. Her pains increased tenfold and her vision went completely black. Holding on to the last shred of self control she had, Kimiko let out a scream. Not one of pain, but a warrior's cry of defeat.

……………………………..

"What was that?" Jack Spicer said as he heard a scream echo off the trees.

This part of the forest was dark, and the so-called evil boy genius was not fond of the change in the atmosphere. Wuya simply looked at him as if he were some unwanted parasite, like a stomach virus. She had lost her patience with him hours ago. Now tired of yelling, she resorted to hitting him on the back of the head whenever he got on her nerves. Not that it made him stop. It just helped her relieve the stress.

Chase stopped to listen, having heard the scream as well. Unable to hear anything due to Jack's whimpering, he shot him a look that would make even the most macho person on earth run crying to his mommy. Spicer had gotten on his nerves as well, but rather than resorting to petty physical violence like Wuya, he simply threatened to kill him. That had really shut Jack up.

That scream from a moment ago had peaked Chase's curiosity. He put his fingers to his lips and gave a loud whistle. A moment later a large black bird swooped down and perched itself on Chase's out-sretched arm.

"Discover where that scream came from, and make sure you are not seen."

With that the bird took to the sky once again. Wuya turned away from scowling at Jack, having heard Case speak to the bird.

"Chase, what's going on?"

The Heylin warrior looked up to the treetops to where the bird had disappeared to.

"We are not alone in these woods. Something has happened." Chase squinted his eyes. "Something that we of the Heylin forces have waited for thousands of years to happen….."


	4. The Search Begins Again

Sorry this chapter took a while. School's been murder on me and I've been having a hard time concentrating. I have the whole story planned out from beginning to end, I just haven't had time to write it down. Thank god for Spring break. Expect more updates then. Until next time, enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 4: The Search Begins Again

Clay was exhausted. He had been searching for hours and it was getting late. He already started thinking about when he'd have to meet up with the others because, even though he wasn't necessarily afraid of the dark, he still didn't think it pleasant to camp out there by your self. Oh well. He still had time before sunset. Hopefully Rai and Omi's day had been more productive.

And, hopefully, Kimiko was alright. What was he going to tell the guys when they saw she wasn't with him?

"_I reckon I'll have t' tell em' what happened."_ Clay thought simply to himself. " '_Sides,_ _It's mostly her fault. Damn, I think I'm already gettin' a rash! Could of told me that plant was poisonous._" He scratched his arm.

Deep down, he did think that he had gone a little overboard when he yelled at Kimiko. Then again, what about all the things she had said to him? She made rude comments to him all the time. Didn't he have the right to defend himself? Still, there was something about the way she had looked at him. Clay never meant to make her get that emotional. He had never made anyone cry, at least not to his knowledge.

Sure, she looked angry. She looked angrier than Clay had seen her in a long time. But there was that look in her eyes. She looked as if Clay had said something like he hated her. He shook his head. He didn't really hate her. He thought she was….

At that moment Clay realized something. Something he was surprised that he'd never thought of it before.

What did he really think about Kimiko Tohomiko?

Before he could put more thought into this, something else caught his attention. Smoke slowly filled the air and the smell of ashes filled the young dragon's nose. It didn't rake him long to realize what was going on.

"Shit!"

As Clay looked closer he could already see flames rising from out of the brush. He frantically searched his mind for a solution. Soon he would have an all out forest fire on his hands. It would have been better if Raimundo and Omi could handle this. After all, wind and water were a hell of a lot more useful than earth when it came to putting out fires. But _he_ was there. It was up to _him_ to do something about this.

Quickly, Clay took off his ten gallon hat and pulled out his signature Shen Gong Wu, the Fist of Tebigong. He quickly slipped it on his hand and headed in the direction were the smoke was coming from.

Clay didn't go far before he began to choke on the ash and burnt particles in the air. Thinking fast, he pulled the bandana around his neck over his mouth. In the distance, the fire engulfed everything in plain sight, turning everything from green to black. Clay got as close as he could while still being safe, then stopped to raise his metal clad fist. He swung it down with a mighty force.

" FIST OF TEBIGONG"

The ground cracked from the intense pressure. Dirt and mulch flew into the air and smothered some of the flames. It barely helped. It was going to take a lot more than that to put out this fire.

"_Damnit! I need help….."_

"Clay!"

Clay looked up, caught completely off guard. As if on cue, Omi and Raimundo came onto the scene. But that did not surprise him as much as seeing Dojo.

"_How's that possible?" _Clay thought. _Did they, could they of found it?"_

"Hang in there dude!" Rai shouted down to him. "Now, Omi!"

The small monk whipped out a round object and held it up in the air, the sun shining off of its crystal clear surface.

"ORB OF TORNAMI! WATER!"

A sudden torrent shot up into the air. As it down, Rai pulled out something that had been tucked into his robes and spun it around over his head like an out of control ceiling fan.

"SWORD OF THE STORM! WIND!"

The water hit the spinning blade and dispersed into tiny droplets. They rained down onto the flames below, extinguishing them. Before Clay could blink, Dojo was landing on the forest floor and the two other boys were running towards him as the dragon shrunk back into his normal size. They looked almost as perplexed as he was.

"Clay, what has happened?" Omi asked. Rai turned his head from side to side, obviously looking for something. Or someone, as the case was.

"And where's Kimiko?"

Clay scratched the back of his head. He tipped the rim of his hat over his eyes, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Mighty good questions, I reckon. Don't know the answers to neither of em…"

Omi and Clay looked confused. Hell, he was just as confused as they were, if not more. Dojo slid over and curled himself around the top of Omi's head. He gave Clay an equally confused look. The cowboy felt like he was on a huge stage all alone. And the spotlight was on him. He sighed.

"All I can tell ya'll is what I know, an' that ain't much. I have no clue how this here fire started, an' as fer Kimiko, well….."

Clay looked up for a moment then sighed again. He turned his attention back to his friends. He really didn't want to do this.

"Here's what happened…"

It didn't take long for Clay to explain what happened, although to him it seemed like an eternity. When he finished he found it hard to read his friend's expressions. Omi looked like he was still processing the information. His eyes were closed and his finger was placed under his chin, a clear sign that he was pondering something. It seemed that something was nagging at him. He just couldn't place what it was.

Dojo's expression was similar to that of concern, but like Omi it seemed like something else was trying to take up his thoughts. Then Clay looked at Raimundo.

One look at the Shoku Warrior's face and the dragon of earth was hit with a feeling of uneasiness. He looked at Clay as if he had just committed an unspeakable act. His hands were balled up tightly into fists and they were shaking. That really got the cowboy to feel ashamed of himself.

"_Dang, I reckon I really messed up with somethin' this time."_

However, Rai had not intended to express what he was feeling towards anyone. At least not anyone there. He screwed his eyes shut.

"_Damn it, Kimiko! What are you thinking?"_

Raimundo was worried. He knew something they didn't, something they all should know but couldn't remember. But, what exactly was it? Clay could feel that there was a little voice in the back of his head trying to tell him something. What it was, he couldn't say. There was one thing Clay knew, however, and that was that something was seriously wrong. He could feel it. He could see it in his friend's eyes.

Trying to concentrate on something else, Clay looked at Dojo who was still coiled around Omi's head. He decided that know he wanted some answers.

"By th' way, Dojo, how in tarnation is it that you ain't all shakin' no more? B'fore when we tried t' land you were actin' up like a rattler with a bad case o' the sniffles."

Dojo looked at Clay and nodded. "Yeah I was feeling pretty lousy. I couldn't get anywhere near the ground without feeling like I was going to have a stroke." Dojo narrowed his eyes. His tone had gotten more serious. "That is, until…."

………………

Earlier that day Dojo had been soaring over the mountainous Japanese terrain, admiring how lush and green it all was. Only a small percentage of the country was populated by people and the feeling of that kind of quiet calm isolation had almost put the old dragon in a meditative state. It reminded him of his years of living in quiet tranquility at the Xiaolin Temple.

Or at least, it was like that until he got stuck with babysitting a group of rowdy young tweens. But even Dojo had to admit that he had never imagined that these young inexperienced kids could grow up into the responsible young warriors they had become. Sure they still acted up and did stupid kid stuff, but they carried a huge responsibility on their shoulders and deserved the time they had to goof off like normal teenagers. Dojo let out a long repressed sigh, breathing out smoke as he did so. He hoped they were all alright.

Right now, all he could do was hover above the trees and watch out for anything that would come across as suspicious. But so far Dojo had seen nothing. The forest stood still like it had for years, with the exception of the all too common earthquakes that would occasionally shake its boundaries. But nothing at all was happening. And even if it was, how on earth was the dragon supposed to tell the others? He couldn't get close to the ground without totally losing control of his bodily functions and he would start to twitch like a madman. He hadn't yet forgotten that first episode he had. He nearly ended up causing the deaths of the earth's only hope against the forces of darkness.

After a while, Dojo started to notice that trace amounts of smoke started to fill the air. He looked around him, confused. "That's not me. What's going….oh…NO!" In the distance, not to far from where Dojo was hovering, smoke was rising out of the trees and into the air.

In that instant Dojo completely stopped. He forgot to hover. Hell, he forgot to breath! Of course, he began to drop like a lead balloon. He lost his ability to think straight as he began to spin around in the air. He was close to the tops of the trees now. He braced himself for the sharp stabbing chills he knew were to come.

He felt nothing. Just the wind whipping at his face accompanied by the sensation of falling. That woke him up from his shock induced state of panic as he pulled up, just grazing the branches of the taller trees. He elevated himself up to a safe distance before checking himself for any feelings of unpleasantness. Nothing.

"I-I don't feel anything? No chills…nothing?"

There was a moment of silence.

Then

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF DASHI IS GOING ON?"

It did not take long for Dojo to answer his own question. It was clear what had happened.

"Oh crap."

Dojo flew off in the other direction at topmost speed. He never remembered ever flying this fast.

"_Ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapocrap! CRAP! This is not good! This is NOT GOOD!"_

He had to find Omi. Or Rai. Or anyone. He had to find them now. Right now! If he didn't…..

Suddenly, he noticed something below him. It was reflecting the sun's rays, and it was moving. He could see the shine moving under the cover of the trees below. Dojo soon recognized it as a familiar glare the sun made when it shined off of one thing in particular. And that was Omi's big shiny head! Omi and Raimundo were directly below him! Still panicked, Dojo swooped down towards them.

Straight towards them!

It was too late to change his direction. If he tried, he would most likely end up entangled in the branches. There was only one thing he could do.

"LOOK OUT BELOW!"

Rai and Omi looked up. Their eyes went wide with disbelief as they saw the big dragon coming straight at them! Thankfully, Omi possessed perfect reflexes. He grabbed the team leader by the cuff of his sleeve and leapt out of the way just as Dojo made contact with the ground with a loud

-BOOM!-

Dojo moaned as he tried to move. It had been hours since he touched solid ground and, while his body was weightless during flight, he was always reminded of how heavy he was in this form when he was back on the ground.

Obviously annoyed, Rai stepped out of the bushes Omi had leapt into. He spat out a leaf before he could speak. "Dojo! What in the world's gotten into you?"

Omi stuck his head out of the bushes, unaware that he had a small bird's nest on his head. "Wait, Clay! Do you not find it strange to see Dojo here when before he had to keep his distance? The affects of the Shen Gong Wu are too powerful for him to handle."

Rai realized that Omi was right and turned to the Dojo for an explanation. The dragon quickly rose to attention once he caught his breath. He was still panting when he talked.

"I'll explain on the way." He turned so his back faced them. "Just get on!" Dojo and Omi looked at each other in confusion. Dojo pounded the ground with one of his claws. "GET A MOVE ON! We don't have time to stand around like this!"

Omi and Rai were shocked. Dojo had never sounded so serious. Nodding simultaneously, they climbed on the dragon's back and soared off into the sky.

…………………….

"Dojo had explained to us how he had seen the smoke." Omi said at the end of the dragon's explanation. "As you clearly saw, we came prepared."

Clay scratched the scruff on his face as he absorbed everything his friends had just told him. The cowboy was still confused, although that explanation had cleared up some things for him. He still, however, had not received an answer on the matter he thought was the most important.

"That's all fine an' dandy, fellas. But ya'll still haven't told me why Dojo isn't effected by th' Wu's vibes anymore."

That was obviously not the right question to be asking. All three of Clay's companions suddenly grew melancholy. Omi bowed his head as a symbol of shame and Dojo let out a pained sigh as Raimundo bowed his head like Omi. Dojo cleared his throat of the ash and soot that lingered on his breath before turning to the dragon of earth. From the look on his face and that of his fellow warriors, Clay knew this was not going to be good news.

"It can mean one of two things" Dojo said pointing one claw up. "One, it can mean that somebody found the Heylin Urn and took it away."

This idea made Clay's insides turn. His skin turned pale to match his farmer's tan. He looked at Dojo as if what he had said was not possible, not probable. But It was very possible. The fact that the small dragon could be there was proof.

Dojo sensed the fear that had entered the cowboy's tough exterior. "Trust me, it's better than the other possibility." He said sadly, pointing up a second claw. "Two…" Clay felt like his heart was going to stop. What could be worse than one of those heartless Heylin getting their hands on such a dangerous object? That was why they were there, to stop them from getting it. That's what the fate of the world relied on. What could be worse than that?

"The Urn has been opened."

These words echoed over and over again in Clay's mind. He felt totally paralyzed. He had never imagined such that could happen. Not in a million years. Not in two million years. But it was all too possible. Clay knew that. But, could it really be true? Could they have failed so miserably? So totally?

"Guys, wait. Let's assess the situation. It's not totally hopeless." Rai finally said. It was obvious he was trying to sound calm when he really wasn't. "If someone on the Heylin does have the Wu, than there is still a chance we could get it back before any damage is done. But first, we have to find Kimiko and regroup. After that, we'll come up with a plan. We've been through situations like this before and we always come up on top. Am I right?" The team leader stretched out his hand. "Come on, guys."

Omi and Clay knew that he was faking the enthusiasm. Still, they couldn't help but smile at their leader's attempt to raise their spirits. Omi put his hand on top of Rai's, and Clay put his hand on top of Omi's.

"We're with you, partner."

"Yes. We will overcome this trial, as we have all the others."

They all then raised their hands to the sky, each boy shouting his element at the top of his lungs.

They decided to split up and search the surrounding area for Kimiko. Dojo took to the sky to search from above and to keep tabs on everyone. The boys agreed to have Dojo pick them up individually if they found nothing by nightfall, which was four hours away.

As Rai ran off into the direction opposite to that of Clay, only one thing was on his mind. He had to prove to himself that what he was thinking was wrong. That the one behind this wasn't who he thought it was. He had to prove he was wrong, even though deep down he already knew he was right.

The next chapter is coming soon, I promise! It will be entirely from Clay's point of view, which is different from the other chapters where I have switched back and forth between scenes involving other characters. Not this time. Nope. Besides, it has to happen that way due to how I've spaced out my chapters. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, no matter how short it seemed to be. There will be fluff by chapter 6! THERE WILL BE FLUFF! Nothing that big, mind you. See ya soon!


	5. ANOUNCEMENT

_update, update, update!_

Wow, WOW, it has been WAAAAAY to long since I updated anything, but life tends to throw you changes that you didn't expect and you get sidetracked. NEVERTHELESS, I finally started drafting the next two chapters to this story, and hopefully make it a LOT better, so to those of you who are still watching this, thank you, I'll have the next two chapters up soon!


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